Background Statistical methods form the basis for clinical decision-making in evidence-based anesthesia. Data on the knowledge of anesthesiologists about statistics are lacking. This pilot study aims to provide a first impression of the anesthesiologists' understanding of commonly used concepts in statistics. Methods A cross-sectional pilot survey was performed at a major international anesthesia conference. The questionnaire consisted of three basic multiple-choice questions on the topics “p value,” “confidence interval,” and “correlation.” Results of the questions are reported as percentage of correct answers (95% confidence interval). Results 65 questionnaires were analyzed. Forty participants were male, and mean age was 40 (standard deviation: 10) years. The question addressing the p value was correctly answered by 15% (95% CI: 8 to 27%) of respondents. The question concerning the 95% confidence interval was answered correctly by 28% (95% CI: 18 to 40%) of participants. For the question about correlation, a correct answer was given by 52% (95% CI: 40 to 64%). None of the participants answered all questions correctly, and 19 participants provided a wrong answer to all questions. Conclusions Anesthesiologists seem to demonstrate a poor understanding of statistical key concepts. Further studies are needed to address statistical knowledge gaps among anesthesiologists more comprehensively.

This case illustrates that severe hypercortisolism is a medical emergency and that specific and prompt combined medical and surgical intervention can be life-saving.

(Un)anticipated difficult airway remains a challenge in anaesthesia. Percutaneous transtracheal jet ventilation has been shown to be an adequate technique for temporary oxygenation and ventilation and has been described as an acknowledged method in emergency settings of an unanticipated difficult airway. These emergency settings can be considered as low incidence high-risk situations. Both technical and non-technical skills should be trained regularly as education and simulation continues to play an important factor in patient safety. Furthermore, postoperative laryngeal oedema due to altered lymphatic drainage patterns must be considered as a possible mechanism of an upper airway obstruction in combination with a history of neck dissection and radiotherapy.